Knights in Shining Drag
by CrimsonMagi94
Summary: Teddie ends up losing the ribbon he won right after the 'Miss' Yasogami Festival draws to a close, so he decides to go look for it alone. Shame no one bothered to tell him not to talk to any strangers . . . Warning: Story contains mild sexual harassment.


Heeeey. So, this was a prompt for the kink meme (yes, for those of you who are from any of my other stories, that is what I have been doing all week), and I decided to post it here, just because.

It's a oneshot. Just so you know.

No, it's not Reconnect. No, it's not Reflexio. But it's something. So I hope you all enjoy it anyway! ;)

Warnings: This does have some sexual harassment in it, so for those of you who are of a more sensitive nature, I advise you turn away.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4, obviously.

* * *

Knights in Shining Drag

Teddie hummed a cheery tune to himself as he gathered his clothes from the locker provided to him by the staff (such nice people~), reminiscing over the 'Miss' Yasogami Pageant with glee. All of those cheering people, swooning over his drop-dead gorgeous looks, being given the chance to be judge for the next pageant . . . he even got a cute little ribbon out of it, a frilly little thing with a big golden '1' stamped right in the middle!

It had all been so much fun! He really hoped they could do it again sometime!

Well, he hoped. His friends didn't really look like they had had anywhere near as much fun as he'd had. Except Sensei, because Sensei was awesome!

"Ugh," he heard Yosuke grunt as he furiously wiped away the makeup that was stubbornly clinging to his skin with a washcloth, "All in favor of never speaking of this again, say 'aye'."

"Aye . . ." Kanji grumbled, rubbing his sore feet with a wince as he threw the heels he'd been wearing to the floor, "God damn, how do girls walk in these thing?"

"The same way you did on stage," Sensei replied, not looking up from his task of sorting through his attire and making sure everything was still in order.

"Uh, w-well, I guess, yeah . . ." Kanji stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. Teddie giggled to himself. Kanji could be so silly sometimes!

Plunking his clothes down on the seat next to him, Teddie knew he'd have to set to the task of disrobing. But the the thought made him frown. He liked this outfit! It was soft and cute and everyone adored him in it!

"Hey, Sensei?" Teddie started, glancing to the silver-haired youth in question.

"Hm?"

"Do I have to take off the dress?" he asked almost plaintively, sticking out his bottom lip for good measure.

"Yes!" Yosuke answered instead, pretty much immediately, "Yes, you do. You can't go walking around like that all the time!"

"But why not?" Teddie asked.

"Because it's weird for guys to go around wearing women's clothes!" Yosuke said, arms crossed over his chest with the washcloth still dangling between his fingers.

"Not like anyone'll be able to tell the difference," Kanji mumbled off to the side, and when Yosuke shot him a look, his face went red and he shouted defensively, "What, it's true!"

"But why is it weird?" Teddie asked, tilting his head to one side, "Naoto wears boy clothes all the time, and no one thinks she's weird. In fact, everyone thinks she's really cool!"

"It's weird because . . . because . . ." Yosuke floundered then, seeming to fish for a reason he would understand and coming up dry every time.

"It's weird because people in this world don't think it's 'normal' for boys to dress that way," Sensei informed him, ever-patient when it came to explaining the 'whys and what-fors' of this world to Teddie.

And of course Sensei would know the answer!

Beside him, Yosuke sighed in relief, "Thanks man."

Then Sensei continued, "But if you really like it that much, I don't see a reason you shouldn't wear it."

"What?" Yosuke shouted, "Dude, don't encourage him!"

"Really?" Teddie asked, feeling excitement swell. If Sensei said it was okay, then that meant it would be okay forever! And that meant he could wear the dress whenever he wanted! Yay!

"NO, not really!" Yosuke shouted, raining on his parade. Turning to Sensei, he demanded, "Hey, Partner, this your fault, help me out here!"

With a sigh and a shrug, Sensei acquiesced and, for a few scary moments, Teddie thought that would be curtains for the outfit. But he really should have known better than to doubt Sensei, for instead of saying no, he compromised, "Alright, then how about this; if Teddie can't wear it here, then he gets to wear it in the tv world whenever he wants. Is that fair?"

"But that's-!" Yosuke started. Then, with a slump of his shoulders, he sighed, "Fine."

"Is that okay with you Teddie?" Sensei asked, looking his way.

With a bright, nearly blinding smile, Teddie nodded, happy enough with the fact that he could keep the clothes and wear them back home, "Uh-huh! Thank you Sensei, you're the best!"

"Man, that's gonna make practice awkward . . ." Kanji grumbled to himself.

"Okay, okay, it's sorted, now let's get out of these stupid clothes and then get out of here!" Yosuke said, already setting to work on undoing the strawberry shaped accessory tied in his hair.

Smiling happily to himself, Teddie turned around with a hand already reaching for where the ribbon was pinned to his chest, deciding to stow that away somewhere safe first ahead of anything else.

Only to grow puzzled when he clutched at empty air instead. Craning his neck down to see, as well as pulling the lacy frock out with both hands in order to get a better view, he looked to see what was wrong.

His jaw dropped when all he saw was empty space. The ribbon was gone.

"Ah!" Dropping to his knees, he rifled through his clothes before ducking down and examining underneath every chair and table he came across, "Where is it? Where is it?"

"Whoa Ted, what's gotten into you?" Yosuke asked from his spot on one of the nearby tables, perplexed as he watched the bear crawl from one spot to the next with a rasied eyebrow.

"My ribbon!" Teddie wailed as it became more and more apparent to him that his ribbon was nowhere to be found, "I can't find it!"

Yosuke rolled his eyes, "Dude, relax. You probably just dropped it on the way here."

Teddies' head snapped up from over the edge of one table, hopeful eyes landing on the boy, "You think so?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, that kind of thing happens all the time," Yosuke explained.

"We'll look for it once we finish up here," Sensei added gently, "It can't have gotten too far."

Teddie appreciated the offer, of course, but impatience ate away at him like a particularly stubborn flea that didn't know how to let go. He really, really, really, REALLY liked that ribbon, not just as a keepsake for his victory, but as a little something to remember this fun night by. Biting his lip, he glanced at the door that led back to the outside.

It wouldn't be too bad to take a quick peek on his own, could it? They hadn't walked that far, after all! Besides, sitting here waiting was killing him!

Mind made up, he sprung up to his feet and hurried over to the door.

"Hey, wheredya think you're goin'?" Kanji asked as Teddie's hand closed around the latch of the door.

Turning around, he said determinedly, "I'm gonna go look for my ribbon, obviously!"

"I get you're impatient, Ted, but can't you wait until we're done?" Yosuke asked, pulling off the shoes he wore.

"Don't worry, I'll be beary quick about it, so you don't have to worry about little old me!" Teddie said and, with a wave and a smile, he pulled open the door and vanished over the threshold.

Inside, Yosuke groaned and shook his head, "Stupid bear . . ."

* * *

Teddie shivered as a breeze wafted by, the cold air sending goose pimples along his arms. Heh, 'goose pimples'. What a funny word!

Shaking his head in order to focus back on the task at hand, he began to retrace their steps back across the yard, scanning the ground carefully in hopes of catching sight of a little wayward ribbon. The path from the changing rooms to the actual stage was a mildly short one, set between a concrete wall, and a small, well-worn road lined with a chain link fence and a few overhanging streets lights, one of which looked like it was busted. It was . . . kinda creepy, actually.

"Maybe I should wait for the others . . ." Teddie said, looking warily at his surroundings. Then, with a shake of his head, he squared his shoulders and placed his hands on his hips, saying firmly, "Nah, I don't need too do that! I'm a big bear, I can take care of myself!"

But as he walked, his spirits began to fall as the ribbon made itself no more obvious than it had in the changing room. The darkness only made it harder to look, not to mention the fact that it seemed to be progressively getting colder the longer he stood around out here.

"Where did it go?" Teddie murmured as he walked, "It has to be here somewhere!"

A bout of riotous laughter drew his attention from the floor to a group of three young men milling about the chain link fence, a red car parked on the road beside them. They seemed to be having fun over something.

An idea came to Teddie's mind. Maybe, if he asked nicely enough, they would give him a hand in searching for his ribbon! Four pairs of eyes was better than one, after all. It certainly couldn't hurt to ask!

Skipping over to the trio, all of whom had ceased their laughter when he came close, he laced one arm behind his back and waved, "Hi there!"

The three boys exchanged a set of curious, yet amused looks, seemingly all on the same page of something when one of them stepped forward. He was tall and lean, with pale skin and thin black hair that fell to his shoulders, brown eyes appearing black in the street light. He wore a zipped up black jacket with a flaming skull design emblazoned on the left shoulder, along with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans held up by a studded leather belt and pair of black shoes. His bottom lip was pierced with a silver stud, which gave off a bright gleam thanks to the dusky light of street lamp. He was smiling, a friendly and open gesture which Teddie hoped meant they would be nice and not turn him away.

"Well, well, what do you we have here? You lost, little miss?" he asked cordially, eyes roaming up and down before finally settling on Teddie's face. Huh, weird.

"Oh no, I'm not lost. I'm looking for something!" Teddie replied with an honest smile, "And I was hoping that maaaaybe, you might have seen!"

"Oh yeah?" The young man asked, "Whatchya looking for?"

"A ribbon," Teddie replied simply. Though, wait, maybe they'd need a little more detail than that . . .

Clearing his throat, he elaborated, "It's a small little blue ribbon with a big gold '1' stamped on it! I won it in a contest!"

"Oh?" the man asked, looking back to his companions and giving them a knowing smirk. They smiled back, and Teddie wondered if he had somehow missed a joke. It wouldn't be the first time.

Reaching into his left jacket pocket, he rifled around for a bit before withdrawing his hand and holding it up, "Wouldn't happen to be this, would it?"

Teddie looked to see what he was holding up, and when he saw the familiar shape of a blue frill and the gleam of a golden '1' stamped right in the middle, his heart began to soar. Face splitting wide as his smile turned into a joyous grin, Teddie balled his hands up to his chest and began to jump up and down in glee, exclaiming, "That's it! That's my ribbon! You found it, you found it, you found it! Thank you, mister!"

But when Teddie reached out to take it, the man held it up so it was_ just_ out of his reach. With an almost patronizing smile, he leaned down so he was eye level with Teddie, "What? Not even a name for your knights in shining armor?"

Oh, that's right, he hadn't introduced himself had he? Well, that _was_ a little rude of him, he supposed. So, not seeing the harm in it, he replied, "Oh, right. My name's Teddie! It's nice to meet you!"

"Teddie?" the man asked, eyebrows nearly vanishing into his bangs. With a short laugh, he continued, "Holy shit, it's no wonder you look familiar. You're that guy who won the 'Miss' Yasogami Pageant, aren't you?"

Teddie smiled and puffed his chest out proudly, "Yeeep, that was me!"

Behind the man, his two companions looked at each other in shock.

"Dude, so does that mean this chick's, like, actually a _dude_?" one asked. He was very skinny, with pale blonde, greasy hair that was tied into a ponytail that was draped over his right shoulder. A cigarette dangled from his lips, the pungent smell of smoke wafting around him like a grimy cloud.

"I guess. Still pretty, though," the other one replied, sounding slow and a bit dumb. He was a big, though, like really grizzly big, with muscles and everything to the point where Teddie thought even Kanji might have some trouble taking him on.

"Hm, well, I ain't gonna lie, that's a bit surprising," the leader said. He seemed to mull something over, looking Teddie up and down as he did so, before saying, "But, for a tranny, I gotta admit; you're pretty damn hot."

Teddie wasn't really sure what the other boy was getting at. He didn't feel hot. Actually, he felt pretty cold, if he was being honest. It was chilly out here! But, judging from the way the boy said it, it sounded like it was meant to be a compliment.

"Um, thank you?" Teddie said, unsure if it was the right thing to say. He had to ask Sensei what that meant later, if it meant anything at all.

"Anyway, you can call me Mako," the boy said. Thumbing in the direction of the blonde, he said, "That's Sai," then to the big guy, "And that's Ryo."

"Nice to meet you!" Teddie responded politely before glancing longing at the ribbon in the boy's hand. Rubbing his wrist, asked, "Um, can I have my ribbon back now?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, this thing," Mako seemed to contemplatively weigh it in his hand, when he suddenly looked up and took a step closer, "Say, before I fork this thing over, how about I give you an offer? Me and the boys here were planning on ditching this place soon and going over to Okina City, and we just happen to have a spare seat in the car. Since you seem cool enough, what do you say to hopping in the backseat and taking a ride around town with us?"

"Uh, you sure, man?" The blonde one, Sai, said, looking hesitant, "I mean, he is a _guy_ . . ."

"Eh, so? Turn him around and keep the dress on, I bet you wouldn't be able to tell the difference," Mako replied, shrugging his shoulders, "And I'm willing to try anything once."

Teddie blinked, most of the words flying right over his head. But it was clear that they were offering him an invitation of some sort, which was nice of them, but Teddie knew he would have to turn them down.

"Uh, sorry, but I should probably start going back before my friends start to wonder where I am. But I hope you have a lot of fun!" Teddie said truthfully, hoping the well-wishes would placate them, "And thanks for finding my ribbon!"

But when he reached out to grab it again, Mako held it up out of his reach, much to Teddie's annoyance. Come on, he just wanted his ribbon back! If this was a game of keep-away, it was kind of getting old!

"Hey-!" Teddie started, growing impatient.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that, 'sweetheart'!" Mako said with a smirk, stepping closer, "It's just one night!" and closer, "I'm sure your friends won't miss you," and closer still, till they stood practically chest to chest. Mako was still smiling as he leaned over, words coming out in a breathy whisper that ghosted over Teddie's ear, "What do you say?"

That was when a rough, warm hand suddenly trailed up the back of Teddie's thigh, hiking up under his skirt before giving his butt a very quick, but very firm, squeeze.

"EEP!" Teddie involuntarily squealed, skittering away from both the contact and the boy while at the same time smacking Mako's hand away on reflex. That had hurt!

Mako laughed, "Did you guys hear that? He even squeaks like a girl!"

Behind him, his two friends laughed in mirth, though it sounded far from friendly.

Teddie maintained his distance from the group this time, now wary and a little put off, but he didn't run just yet. He glanced at the ribbon still in Mako's hand, indecisive over what his next course of action should be. Unfortunately, Mako noticed.

Holding it up, he asked, "You want it? Then come over here and take it."

Teddie blinked, confused beyond belief by the sudden switch in attitude, "Why are you being so mean all of a sudden? I just want my ribbon back!"

"Mean?" Mako asked, "What do you mean by mean? I'm actually being very nice, because I'm feeling very nice," with a lascivious grin, he added, "And I'm willing to bet that I can make _you_ feel very nice yourself . . . if you'd let me."

Teddie blinked, puzzled by the words. What did he mean by that? Like buying topsicles or sitting in one of those great massage chairs at Junes? Those made Teddie feel nice. But, something about the look in his eyes . . . he wasn't sure if it was the kind of 'nice' Teddie was thinking of.

But right now, all Teddie wasn't feeling 'nice' at all. In fact, he was feeling a little bit mad, "Well, I don't _want_ to feel nice! I just want my ribbon!"

"Oh, but I'm pretty sure you do," Mako said, walking towards him again. Teddie started to back up, when his back hit something hard and sturdy. Whipping around in surprise, he saw that Ryo was now standing behind him, blocking his path with his giant size. Before he could react, however, thick, meaty fingers suddenly wrapped tight around Teddie's wrist, holding him in place with a strong, painful grip.

"Hey, let go! That hurts!" Teddie demanded, beating at Ryo's portly fist with his own small hand. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do much, Ryo only smirking at his vain attempts to escape.

Another presence appeared beside him, and Teddie spun around to see that Mako was once again standing in front of him. He was still smiling. But this time, that smile suddenly seemed far, far from friendly.

A hand appeared around Teddie's chin, gripping it tightly as it forcefully jerked his head up to look Mako in the eye. Teddie shivered again, though this time it wasn't from the cold.

"Hey, it wouldn't be so bad if you'd just stop whining and come with us already. I promise, it'll be _way_ worth it," Mako said, eyes clouded over by _something_ Teddie couldn't quite place. But one thing Teddie felt he could place correctly right now? The fact that he felt he was in _danger_. In what way or what form, he had _no_ idea, but the instinct was irrefutably there. He had to get away somehow! If only this big idiot behind him would let him go!

Mako's grip tightened then, and, in the span of only a heartbeat, the boy leaned forward and forcibly pushed his lips to Teddie's own. They were rough and chapped and tasted like smoke, not at all pleasant, while the silver stud pierced through Mako's lip pressed uncomfortably into Teddie's skin, making him cringe in both discomfort and disgust. Why was he _smooching_ him all of a sudden?! He thought only people who really, really liked each other were supposed to do that! And he didn't like Mako. He didn't like Mako at _all_. But wait, did that mean Mako liked him? But how and when? It was true his handsome looks and winning smile could captivate almost any heart if he tried, but they'd only met a few minutes ago, so Teddie had no idea what could have spurred such an action from the other boy. But Teddie did know he wasn't happy with it. Hugs he gave to strangers freely, no questions asked, but smooches were only for the ladies and his special friends!

So, with as much force as he could muster with only one arm, he pressed his hand flat against Mako's chest and pushed him away as hard as he could.

"Oof!" Mako grunted as he stumbled back, rubbing a hand against his chest.

With a somewhat strained, but still amused grin, he chortled, "Oh, so the little teddy bear's got some bite in him after all. Cool. That'll make things a bit more fun."

_Teddy bear?_ Teddie thought. How'd Mako figure out he was a bear?

The sound of a cheering crowd echoed out from the stage area, the precursor for the real Pageant evidently taking place, and the noise made Mako turn his head.

After listening for a few moments, Mako gestured towards the car, ordering, "Come on guys, let's jet before someone wanders by here."

"Man, and I wanted to stick around for the real chicks . . ." Sai grumbled.

"Plenty of babes in Okina City, dude," Mako said dismissively, "We'll pick one up before the night's over."

With a grunt, Sai spat the cigarette out of his mouth and crushed it under the heel of his boot before walking over to the car, popping the driver's side open and settling in as Mako moved towards it as well. But the minute Ryo grabbed his other arm and began to haul him over to the car was the moment Teddie really began to panic.

Kicking at Ryo's legs, he began to twist and turn in his grasp while shouting, "H-hey, put me down! I don't wanna go with you! _Put me down!_"

"Hey, don't be like that, Ted!" Mako crowed from where he sat, "We're just going out for a bit of fun!"

"But I don't wanna goooo!" Teddie yelled, unsure as to why Mako didn't seem to understand what the word 'no' meant. Even he knew what that word meant, and he wasn't even from this world!

Rolling his eyes, he nodded his chin to Ryo, "Hey, could you keep him quiet before someone hears?"

Nodding, Ryo then shifted his right so it locked around Teddie's entire upper torso, arms and all, keeping them pinned in place as he used his now free hand to clamp Teddie's mouth shut and silence his cries.

Now well and truly scared, Teddie tried to bite his captor's hand, which proved to be just as ineffectual as his kicks had been.

_Someone help me!_ he screamed with his mind, _Sensei!_

And then a force, neither Ryo's nor his own, suddenly and harshly jerked them back, and Teddie felt a sharp pulse of air sweep by his head which was quickly followed by the sharp, vicious _crack_ of a fist landing squarely against bone.

Ryo stumbled sideways with a roar of pain, dropping Teddie as his hands flew to his face, who hit the floor with a _thud_. What was happening?!

"_What the FUCK do you assholes think you're DOIN'?!_"

The roar contained so much fury it seemed to shake the walls and floor with it's force alone, and at any other point, a roar like that might have scared him. But at that moment, all Teddie could feel was relief, because he recognized the one doing the roaring.

It was Kanji! Still in his flowing white dress and wig, but Kanji all the same!

"Ted, you okay?" asked another thankfully familiar voice, and Teddie turned his head to see Yosuke kneel beside him, heedless of the fact that his skirt was hiking up as he placed a hand on Teddie's shoulder. He looked worried . . .

With a somewhat shaky nod, he responded, "Uh-huh. At least, I'm better now that you guys are here."

Another presence stepped beside him, and Teddie looked and felt his heart soar when he saw his Sensei present as well. His wig was gone, as was the scant amount of make-up he had worn, but he still had the outfit on. But that didn't matter! His Sensei was here, and now everything would be okay again!

"I'm glad to hear it," his Sensei comfortingly spoke, eyes warm with relief he didn't bother concealing.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's all this?" Mako demanded, rising from his seat, and Teddie involuntarily flinched when he remembered exactly what was happening right now.

Something his Sensei didn't miss. Turning his eyes on Mako with all the intensity of a hawk zeroing in on a mouse, he whispered, "Teddie, stay behind us."

Teddie gulped at the cold, hard tone that had entered Sensei's voice. His eyes, normally so kind and gentle, were now as sharp and steely as silver-tinted daggers, raking over the three boys as if he could peel them apart with his gaze alone. Sensei was _angry_, and against his better judgment, Teddie actually started to feel a little bit sorry for Mako and his friends. Yosuke and Kanji went to stand on either side of him, glaring the group down and cracking his knuckles, respectively, the three forming a barricade between Teddie and Mako's group.

By this time, Mako and Sai had both gotten out of the car, standing side by side next to Ryo (who was now sporting a mottled bruise that covered his cheek and the underside of his chin), staring his friends down with heated stares. Teddie quietly rose back to his feet, glancing from his friends to Mako and back again, feeling trepidation over what might occur next.

With a derisive laugh, Mako taunted, "Well look-y here! All the trannys have come out to play! Sorry, but if you were hoping for an invite, I'm fresh out."

"Oh, spare me that crap!" Yosuke shouted hotly, "Just what the hell were doing, trying to drag him off like that?!"

Mako gave a nonchalant shrug, which only seemed to make Yosuke angrier, "We were just going to take him out on a drive. Have a bit of fun! No harm in that, is there?"

"There is harm when you _force_ them into it," Sensei said coldly, eyes narrowing dangerously. Ooh, Sensei was _really_ mad . . .

"Bastard," Kanji growled, eyes flashing, "I oughta pound your ass into the pavement!"

Mako snorted, casting his cronies a devious smirk, "I'm sure you'd know all about pounding asses, wouldn't you, Tatsumi?"

A vein pulsed in the side of Kanji's neck as he gritted his teeth, beating his fist into his open palm, "Say that again! I fucking _dare_ you!"

"Kanji," Sensei said coolly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Kanji glanced at him, then, with a grumble, reeled in his anger and ignored the insult.

Stepping forward so he stood a little ahead of the others, Sensei folded his arms over his chest and stared Mako down, tone uncompromising, "Leave. Now."

Both Yosuke and Kanji glanced at him in surprise, while Mako raised an eyebrow, "Really? Feeling scared, city boy?"

"Last chance. Leave. And if you don't, and you really want to pick a fight," eyes glinting like silvery steel, he threatened coldly, "Then me and my friends will be more than happy to oblige you. And I'll promise you this; you'll walk away with more than just a few bruises."

Teddie gulped again. Sensei had made a promise, and if there was one thing he knew as fact, it was that Sensei _always_ kept his promises.

Mako surveyed his friends with a contemplative look, glancing from their rigid postures, their squared shoulders, to their confrontational glares, seeming to weigh the validity of his threat inside his own mind. His brown-black eyes then landed on Teddie, who felt a shiver go up his spine. Sensei wasn't having any of it, however, moving so that he stood directly in front of Teddie and hid him from Mako's view, arms crossed and eyes daring.

"Tch," he heard Mako finally hiss, "Too much trouble . . ."

Snapping his fingers, he yelled, "Let's go guys. Let these freaks think they've won."

At his cue, they all clambered into the car, Sai turning the keys and revving the engine before peeling off down the road with a sickening screech of the tires, leaving four black lines on the pavement behind them.

As soon as they had driven out of sight, Sensei and the others immediately turned around to face him, eyes a mixture of inquiring, concerned, and still mildly angry, though Teddie was pretty sure it wasn't directed at him. He hoped.

"Teddie, are you okay?" Sensei asked, placing his hands on his shoulders and looking him over for injuries, "Those men, they didn't hurt you, did they?"

"U-um, no, not really," Teddie responded, wringing his hands together.

"Ted, can you tell us what happened?" Yosuke asked urgently.

Teddie nodded, and carefully began to recount the events after leaving the changing rooms, from meeting Mako, to his weird invitation, to trying to get his ribbon back and failing.

Speaking of his ribbon . . .

"And now it's gone for good!" he wailed piteously, more than little upset by the loss. It had been his ribbon! He'd won it! And now Mako had stolen it!

"Don't worry about it," Sensei said reassuringly, "I'm sure we can ask the judges about getting a new one."

"R-really?" Teddie asked hopefully. He's really like it back . . .

Sensei nodded, "Really. Now Teddie, is there . . . anything else?"

"Uh, well . . ." Teddie thought back to when Mako smooched him, as well as the utter confusion the action had brought him. Why had he done it? Maybe Sensei would know the answer. But then again, his friends always acted weird when it came to smooching others, especially boys. But _again_ then again, it was Sensei, and Sensei was always more relaxed when it came to stuff like that.

"A bit before you guys got there," Teddie said slowly, "Mako smooched me."

His friends eyes went wide, Yosuke stuttering in disbelief, "W-what? No seriously, _what?!_"

"Are you fucking serious?!" Kanji demanded.

"Teddie, is that true?" Sensei asked, a serious look appearing in his eyes.

Teddie puffed out his cheeks indignantly, "Of course it's true! I wouldn't lie to you, Sensei!"

"God damn it . . ." Yosuke mumbled under his breath.

"Damn it, now I wish we had picked a fight! Bastard deserves a hell of a lot more than just a tellin' off!" Kanji grunted wrathfully, glowering down the street where the three had fled. The look was only partly diminished by dress he still had on.

"I'll say," Yosuke agreed before glancing at Sensei, "Yu, just why did we let them go? What if they try something like this again?"

Sensei shook his head, silver eyes appearing dim in half light, "Don't worry. Before they left, I memorized the license plate number. Naoto will make sure that those three get what they deserve."

"Tch. Still wish I coulda given him a good punch to the face," Kanji muttered darkly.

Teddie glanced from one face to the next, wondering why everyone was suddenly so upset. It had just been a smooch, and though it wasn't exactly from someone he liked, he didn't understand why it was provoking such strong reactions from his friends.

"Sensei?" Teddie questioned probingly, waiting until his attention was on him before continuing, "Why is everyone so mad about it? I mean, what did Mako want?"

At this, all three boys shared a very uncomfortable glance, and it was kind of obvious that none of them were too eager to explain Mako's actions. But that just made Teddie even more curious.

"That's, uh . . ." Yosuke floundered helplessly, looking embarrassed.

"It's not exactly somethin' you talk about . . ." Kanji said, folding his arms over his chest.

Sensei retained a bit more composure, and when he next spoke, Teddie listened expectantly, "Teddie, what he wanted was," he seemed to mull over what to say next before finally settling on the simplest explanation possible, "He wanted to do something bad."

"Something bad? Like what?" Teddie asked, tilting his head to the left.

Sensei glanced back to his companions, who only stared back helplessly and with more than a just a slight trace of pity in their eyes, before returning his attention to the bear, "He would have . . ." seeming to have hit a wall, Sensei blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Given you more smooches."

Behind him, Yosuke grimaced as if he were in pain, "Really, dude?"

Teddie's brow furrowed together, "More smooches? But I don't get it, how can smooches be bad?"

Sensei's voice softened, "They can be bad if you don't want them. You didn't want a smooch from Mako, right?"

Teddie frowned and shook his head, "No," pursing his lips, he continued, "I kept _saying_ no, too. But it was like his head had switched off or something, because he wouldn't listen to me!"

"And he wouldn't have listened to you ever," Sensei's tone had become serious, and Teddie knew then that he had to listen up, "Teddie, men like Mako . . . they don't care about other people's feelings, and he would have kept forcing you to do things you didn't want to do, because he doesn't think it's wrong."

Sensei then placed his hands on his shoulders, "And Teddie, I need you to understand that if we hadn't gotten here in time, those men could have really hurt you."

"Oh . . ." Teddie said quietly, eyes going wide.

"There are more good people in the world than bad, but that doesn't mean they don't exist," Sensei continued, "So from now on, if you need to go somewhere where there isn't a lot of people, or it's dark out, make sure one of us is with you. Can you do that?"

Teddie nodded, understanding that Sensei was just worried about him. Besides, he preferred being with his friends as opposed to being alone, so the arrangement wasn't an awful one for him, "Okay, Sensei."

Sensei nodded, pleased by the agreement, "Okay, then. Now how about we get out of the cold and get ready for the _real_ pageant."

"Aw yeah, I'm all for that!" Yosuke agreed enthusiastically.

"Bikini contest . . ." Kanji mumbled to himself, looking lost in thought.

"And after that, what do you say to some topsicles?" Sensei asked.

Teddie beamed, bunching his hands up to his chin in excitement, "Really Sensei?"

Sensei nodded, a small smile turning the corners of his lips, "Of course. Yosuke would be happy to buy one for you."

"Hey, what? Hold on, I did _not_ sign up for this!" Yosuke protested belligerently.

"Ooh, Yosuke, Yooosuke, can I have a grape one?" Teddie asked, uncaring for his objections.

"Hey man, if you're buyin', mind gettin' me a cherry?" Kanji asked, much to Yosuke's chagrin,

"Dude, I did not say I was buying anything!" Yosuke yelled.

"I would like a lemon-flavored one," Sensei added, smiling in amusement.

"I hate you. I hate you all," Yosuke growled.

And just like that, as they all walked back together towards the changing rooms, the bad memory bled away. Teddie smiled, bright and beaming, content and greatly looking forward towards the events to come.

Three days later, when three familiar faces appeared in the news that night for being arrested on charges of 'several counts of sexual harassment', Yosuke only had this to say, "Man, Naoto sure works fast."

* * *

Done. Okay, now that that inspiration has finally been satisfied, maybe I can get to work on my other stuff.

Hope you all enjoyed your brief stay! ^.^

Rate and review, if you so desire.


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